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(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, released the following joint statement on news reports that the Trump Administration plans to divert funds from the Coast Guard to Immigration and Customs Enforcement:

“The Trump Administration has already proposed cutting the Coast Guard’s budget once, and now it wants to divert funds from our nation’s only military, maritime law enforcement agency to help pay for President Trump’s deportation force. With an insufficient operating budget and an increasingly aging fleet of offshore cutters, the dedicated men and women of the Coast Guard protect our vast maritime borders from illicit drugs and security threats, conduct search and rescue operations, contribute to surge capacity during disaster response, and ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. Marine Transportation System which is the backbone that carries our country’s commerce. The Trump Administration’s willingness to undermine the Coast Guard shows the American people that the President is not concerned with national or economic security. Congress must reject this misguided proposal and ensure the Coast Guard has the resources it needs to carry out all of its missions and remain Semper Paratus, or ‘Always Ready’.”